What do Libertarians think of Rick Santorum?

[uglypeoplefucking]

i'm curious who's worse in a Libertarian's eyes: Santorum or Obama?

[incorrect]

lol good question

i'd say i'm pretty libertarian

meaning i view democrats as openly big government, and (modern) republicans as big government pretending to be small government

i'd say they're pretty much the same

obama has proven to me that he doesn't overreact yet still is effective (in terms of international/military), which is a good thing

santorum has yet to prove to me that he would be reasonable in this regard

however i do think that republicans do have some supporters who are fiscal conservatives, and to appease them, some bills might not be passed (there is a small chance that government might not grow as much as it would with a democrat in office)

i'm watching the debate tonight, and ron paul attacks pretty much everything santorum says when he gets a chance.. and santorum has no choice but to nod his head in agreement.. it's kinda funny lol.. paul is like "you were wrong" and santorum is silently "yeah i know"

i believe obama to be (slightly) more principled..

but his principles are often wrong (see: forced insurance. ....not that santorum's are much better)

but votes like NDAA (indefinite detention of US citizens) show the subversive side of obama (it would probably pass in the same form with most republicans as president, but openly so)... obama had serious qualms about this one, but still signed the bill.. not principled imo

anyone see that episode of south park where they vote between a giant douche and a turd sandwich?

i think obama is slightly more palatable

[jonquil]

Considering that "Libertarians" are basically closet white supremacists couching their racism in code terms like small or no government funding for social safety net programs, I'd say that Ron Paul would be more to their liking than Santorum, who just spouts the crazed religious and tea party stuff.

[anon]

Considering that "Libertarians" are basically closet white supremacists...

I'm not a libertarian, but when I was much younger I thought it sounded pretty sensible. I think I might have called myself a libertarian for a year or so. However, I'm quite sure I was not a closet white supremacist.

[Flannel Jesus]

ur just a nazi anon. everyone knows that only nazis think liberarianism sounds sensible

[fuse]

clearly anon was an open white supremacist, not a closet one.

[anon]

And I will take over the universe some day...

[uglypeoplefucking]

ur just a nazi anon. everyone knows that only nazis think liberarianism sounds sensible

nazis and werewolves

i think libertarianism sounds sensible, i mean it's logically consistent and seems intuitively fair, so long as we presume individualism to be to be inherently good. which it isn't.

i'm dying to hear your opinion of Rick Santorum, if you have one . . .

[Flannel Jesus]

I'm so libertarian I don't even follow politics. I wouldn't know Rick Santorum from the anus of an ostrich.

[uglypeoplefucking]

lol good question

i'd say i'm pretty libertarian

meaning i view democrats as openly big government, and (modern) republicans as big government pretending to be small government

i'd say they're pretty much the same

obama has proven to me that he doesn't overreact yet still is effective (in terms of international/military), which is a good thing

santorum has yet to prove to me that he would be reasonable in this regard

however i do think that republicans do have some supporters who are fiscal conservatives, and to appease them, some bills might not be passed (there is a small chance that government might not grow as much as it would with a democrat in office)

i'm watching the debate tonight, and ron paul attacks pretty much everything santorum says when he gets a chance.. and santorum has no choice but to nod his head in agreement.. it's kinda funny lol.. paul is like "you were wrong" and santorum is silently "yeah i know"

i believe obama to be (slightly) more principled..

but his principles are often wrong (see: forced insurance. ....not that santorum's are much better)

but votes like NDAA (indefinite detention of US citizens) show the subversive side of obama (it would probably pass in the same form with most republicans as president, but openly so)... obama had serious qualms about this one, but still signed the bill.. not principled imo

anyone see that episode of south park where they vote between a giant douche and a turd sandwich?

i think obama is slightly more palatable

yeah the South Park metaphor works for just about any presidential contest . . . unfortunately, being principled doesn't make for being an effective politician.

but being principled also isn't worth squat when one's principles are wrong. i like Obama's pragmatism, even if it means he doesn't always act according to principle. i hate Santorum's dogmatism.

overall, your view is basically what i would have imagined a Libertarian's would be. thanks for it.

[uglypeoplefucking]

I'm so libertarian I don't even follow politics. I wouldn't know Rick Santorum from the anus of an ostrich.

they're quite similar, actually.

[tentative]

Santorum is the poster child for the most extreme of the extreme religious right. He is their standard bearer. I find him and the rest of the so-called 'candidates' to be ass-clowns completely out of touch with anyone I would call a reasonable conservative. Other than rich old white men trying to live in the early 1800's, is there any group they haven't alienated? Most amazing is their rhetoric about putting women in their 'place' -ie- the bedroom in the missionary position, and the kitchen. Its as if they are unaware that women are the single largest bloc of active voters in the country. WTF are they thinking? You don't have to like everything about Obama or anything for that matter. But the Santorum crowd makes Obama a winner almost by default. I've never seen a political party, left or right, do so much to self destruct. Maybe the Mayan's were right. Maybe '12 is the end of the world. It sure as hell looks like it for the republican party.

[PavlovianModel146]

I think you may have that right, Tentative, although I am quite interested, from a Social standpoint, to see who wins the presidency if Santorum gets the GOP nod. I'm almost positive it will be Obama, but it's going to be a historically relevant election, from a Social standpoint, if that happens because it is basically going to be Religion's (potentially) last hurrah as a major player in American politics.

If Santorum wins the GOP nod, but loses the election, I think you are going to see Social Conservatism crumble as we know it. I can only hope that doesn't do anything to weaken Criminal Law, which is already too weak as it is. At the very least, what is considered, "Socially Conservative," at least in the mainstream sense, is going to move way to the left. Instead of arguing for bans on gay marriage, for instance, they're probably going to end up taking softer positions such as it should be called a, "Civil Union," as opposed to marriage, but the Federal tax rules should apply in the same way as, "Married, filing jointly."

The scenario where Santorum wins the GOP nod makes perfect sense to me, however, from a Social standpoint. I don't think there's much in the way of dispute (even from most Moderate Liberals) that Barack Obama has been incredibly divisive as a President, so it makes sense that the Conservatives of America would throw the exact opposite at him.

I imagine that, if Santorum loses, you're going to see World Policy and Fiscal Policy at the forefront of every major election from now until ?, and the legalization of marijuana will probably be the next major social issue to get tackled, even though that will take a decade or more. Eventually, more states will legalize gay marriage, or at a minimum, civil unions, and eventually Obama will compel Congress to Federally recognize such Unions from a tax perspective. That's particularly a liklihood if he can get a Democratic House in 2014.

If Santorum wins, all bets are off. The victory will certainly breathe new life into Social Conservatism, although it seems that he has acknowledged that the States have the right to do as they wish. Gay marriage will not be recognized from a Federal Tax standpoint until 2021, minimum, assuming Santorum loses re-election, because there is no way in Hell he doesn't veto that Bill and the Dems aren't going to have enough of the House for 2/3rds to override the veto. Furthermore, I doubt that a new President, even if Democratic, would be willing to effectuate that in his first term, because certainly, some Conservative somewhere may have possibly voted for him. I imagine the Dems would certainly attempt to pass such a bill (if they have control) in 2016, forcing Santorum to go on record as striking it down so that they can ensure the vote of some Moderates and Independents, many of whom might not actually be gay but may sympathize.

I think it will be quite interesting if Santorum wins, although it would essentially throw us back into Social Conservatism Debates that we were essentially rid of in the early part of this century, if not in the late 90's.

[tentative]

It may be possible that there is a bloc of essentially conservative but not extremist republicans that will continue to pursue a limited social issue agenda, but they will first have to kick the extremists to the curb. They will then have to re-build the base looking to the moderates. This will take several years and there is no guarantee that they will ever shed the religious right clamoring for a theocratic government. I'm sure I'm biased, but they seem to have locked themselves into the 'fox news' game of ignoring facts on the ground and pushing an unrealistic theocratic agenda.

I agree that the '12 election is watershed happenings. I think that there will be enough losses to shake their tree. Again, just who haven't they alienated? The progressives and independents are gathering strength and every minority group has their own ax to grind with the so-called republican candidates. I'm guessing that after the elections and the smoke has cleared, the republicans will be practicing duck and cover, and the religious right pimps will go back to their churches and try not to encourage any more hostility than they have already. I further suspect that even the states will get better legislative balance. The over-reaching in Wisconsin and Ohio and the push back is sending a message - if they listen.

I mean, its so bad that even the libertarians are siding with the progressives just a little.